Shine
1996
***½
Director: Scott Hicks
Cast: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Noah Taylor, Geoffrey Rush, Lynn Redgrave, Googie Withers, Sonia Todd, John Gielgud, Alex Rafalowicz, Nicholas Belt
A true story of a talented Australian concert pianist David Helfgott, who suffered a nervous breakdown as a result of his obsessive devotion to music, his strained relationship with his father, and his ailing mental health. Scott Hicks' directorial breaktrough is a moving but not entirely convincing drama that skims through Helfgott's life and portrays mental illness as something cute and funny, like talking mumbo jumbo or forgetting to put your clothes on. The film is well-acted, though. Noah Taylor is great as young David and Armin Mueller-Stahl is powerful as his loving but controlling father. Geoffrey Rush, who plays David at an older age, won an Academy Award for his impressive but showy performance.
